Fighting To Survive
by PrincessOfTheNight93
Summary: "Lose, and you die. Win, and you survive. If you don't fight, you can't win." These are the words that fifteen-year-old Mikasa Ackerman has lived by for the last five years. Driven by her determination and strength, Mikasa has dedicated her life to one thing: protecting her adoptive brother Eren from harm at all costs, even if it means her death.
1. Prologue - Cold

**Prologue - Cold**

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**Author's note: **This is not taking place in an alternate universe. This fanficton will follow the events of the series, loosely, so some chapters (like this one) will have scenes from the show and the manga. However, it will not stay completely true to either, and there will be changes.

The brown-haired boy approached her slowly, bloodied knife in hand.

His silhouette against the fading evening sun though the window, with the red fluid dripping from his weapon, was an intimating sight, to say the least. However, for the girl that had seen her fair share of bloodshed in the past few hours, it was a painfully familiar sight.

She closed her dark black eyes briefly, remembering the events of the day. They were crystal clear in her head, though she'd give anything to erase the images from her memory. Blood...her father, stabbed in the heart, then thrown aside like a rag doll, her mother trying to protect her, but murdered with an axe, being knocked out by one of the men's fists, waking up on the floor of a cabin with her hands bound, cold, in pain...and so very lonely.

She could remember the conversation of the men upon waking up, as they discussed how much money they would make by selling her, since she was now the last known Asian in the world.

Yes, it was all still there. It was all still real.

But...why was that boy here? Why would someone she'd never even seen before go through the trouble of killing two of her captors? The boy, now standing directly over top of her, bent down slowly. She looked up into his wide, expressive and anger-filled green eyes blankly, prepared for the worst. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder, helping her up to a kneeling position, then moved behind her. For a moment, she felt the steel of the blade press against her wrists, but it was gone after a slight tug of the ropes tying them together. The boy, setting the knife aside, spoke to her while removing the thick chords.

"You're Mikasa, right?" Mikasa felt a tiny flare of confusion as to how he knew her name, but didn't react to his question. "I'm Eren," he continued, "Dr. Jaeger's son. You've met my dad before, I think. I was coming with him to the checkup, and that's when...well..." His voice trailed off, as Mikasa tried her hardest to block out more of the painful images trying to resurface. However, his words made sense to her, and her suspicion quickly faded. Mikasa wanted to be happy, for it seemed a miracle had happened, but she couldn't bring herself to such an emotion.

She doubted she'd ever feel joy again. She now had nothing – no home, no family, no friends. Everything she'd ever known had been taken away from her, and nothing Eren did could change that.

Eren finished freeing Mikasa's hands, and she began rubbing her wrists. Suddenly, another image flashed to the front of her mind: when the men had entered her house earlier, there had been more than two.

"There were three of them," she said softly, speaking to him for the first time. No sooner had the words passed her lips, the two children heard a noise behind them. The final slaver had shown up, now glaring at Eren with evil intent. Eren made a dive for his knife, but was savagely kicked out of the way and into a wall by the man. He picked Eren up by the neck.

"Did you do this?" he asked, first sounding shocked, but it quickly melted into rage. "You're fucking dead!" He tightened his hold around Eren's neck and began to strangle him.

"Fight!" Eren suddenly screamed, his voice strained as he struggled to breathe. "You have to fight!" Mikasa's eyes met his, terrified. "Lose, and you die," he gasped. "Win, and you survive. If you don't fight, you can't win!" Mikasa watched the scene in horror, but mentally berated herself. Why couldn't she move? Why was she letting these men, these horrible animals that had shattered her life, take another life for their own selfish reasons?

_And,_ she thought to herself, _if he dies, what am I going to do? He'll have died for nothing...he tried to save me. _She had to at least try; she owed him that much. She picked up the knife on the floor, trembling all the while.

Suddenly, she remembered something: all her life, death had always been right in front of her eyes, as a part of nature. She hadn't lived in a city; her home nested in a mountainous landscape. Her father had to kill to keep them alive. All living things did. It was just as Eren has said: If you win, you survive, and if you lose, you die. That was just how the world worked. And to be victorious, you had to kill.

_This world,_ she thought, _is cruel._

Prying deep into a reserve of strength she never knew she had, Mikasa tightened her hold on the knife, steadying herself. She stopped shaking, and narrowed her eyes in anger, as she stared at one of the men responsible for the death of her family. In one fluid movement, her grip tightened around the blade so much that the handle broke, she leapt forward, delivering the knife straight into the murderer's back. He and Eren both fell to the ground and all was silent. After catching his breathe, Eren stood up.

"I suppose we should wait here until my father returns. He went to get the police." Mikasa said nothing, still staring at the corpse of the man she'd stabbed. She knew the beast deserved it, and felt no pity, but her victory felt strangely empty. Where would she go from here? There was no life left for her back at the place she once called home. She shivered, for she could see no warmth in her life now.

_Life without Mom and Dad will always be cold._

Eren attempted to engage in conversation with her a few more times in the next couple hours, but she never responded; her expression never even changed. She was just too lost in her own thoughts to notice. Eventually, the man Mikasa recognized as Eren's father arrived, along with two guards. She quietly stood outside the cabin while Dr. Jaeger scolded his son for his reckless actions, only half listening. It wasn't until he mentioned her that she looked up.

"Mikasa," he said softly, "do you remember me? I met you many times when you were a child."

" Dr. Jaeger," she said quietly, asking him the same question that had been on her mind ever since she saw her mother killed, "where should I go from here? I'm cold...I don't have a home to return to." Her eyes fell to the ground, and nobody said anything for several seconds. Mikasa felt a soft piece of fabric against her skin, and looked up to see that Eren had taken his red scarf off and wrapped it around her head.

"You can have this," he said. "It's warm, isn't it?" Mikasa blinked, a strange feeling coming over her. She couldn't place it, but for some reason, wearing the scarf made her feel better.

"It's warm," she agreed, stroking it.

"Mikasa," Dr. Jaeger said again, coming closer to her, "come live with us." Mikasa's eyes widened at him. "Tonight has been very painful for you, and you need a lot of rest." She hesitated, not sure of how to react to the sudden change in the conversation.

"Come on," Eren said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go home, to _our_ home." At that moment, Mikasa lost it. All the pent-up emotions of loneliness, emptiness and sadness she'd been repressing came together at the same time, and she began to cry. However, this time she wasn't confused.

This boy, who she hadn't known more than three hours ago, had just saved her life. He'd given her back her freedom and her hope, he'd given her a family and a gift, but most importantly, he'd taught her how to fight, how to defend herself and others. Armed with that knowledge, Mikasa knew she could do anything.

Looking back at Eren as they began the walk to her new home, Mikasa remembered how recklessly he'd attacked those slavers, without a second thought.

_You're reckless and hotheaded, _she thought, _but I owe my life to you_._ I'll repay that debt. I'll make sure that no harm ever comes to you, as long as I live. That is a promise, Eren._

She ran her fingers over the scarf, as her final tear fell into it.


	2. Chapter One - A New Beginning

**Chapter One - A New Beginning**

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The next morning, Mikasa woke up in a cold sweat. For a few seconds she looked around in confusion, not fully recognizing her surroundings, but then she remembered – how could she forget?

"Ah," she whispered to herself, "so it wasn't a dream." She had relived the memories of yesterday in her sleep, but oddly enough, upon waking up, most of the sorrow has instantly vanished.

She made her way near the kitchen door, but paused when she heard two people talking.

"So," said a female voice, "what's the story about her?"

"Mikasa is her name," she heard Dr. Jaegar say. "She's the Ackerman's only child. When I got to their house yesterday, her parents had both been murdered and she was nowhere to be found. I went to notify the police, but when they found her hours later, Eren had already killed the kidnappers." Mikasa heard the chair slide back – a clear sign that someone had quickly stood up.

"He _what? _Grisha, you can't be serious. Eren_ killed_ someone?"

He sighed deeply. "Yes, Carla, but he told me he only did it because he wanted to save Mikasa's life. Surely you can't blame the boy for that?" There was a long pause before Eren's mother sat down again.

"No," she said quietly, "but just who were they? Why would they go through the trouble of killing an entire family just to steal a child?"

"Human traffickers," Dr. Jaeger said darkly. "They intended to take her to the capital and sell her into sex slavery, from what Eren overheard." There was a sharp intake of breath from Eren's mother. "They truly were animals, and if nothing else, I hope Mikasa can find consolation in knowing they are dead."

"I don't think that's much of a consolation for her," Mrs. Jaeger said softly. "That poor dear...I can't even imagine how she must be feeling."

"That's why I brought her home," her husband replied. "After what she went through last night, I thought that the last thing she needed was to be worrying about finding a place to sleep. I couldn't just leave her there. She was so lost."

"Well," Eren's mother said softly, "we _were _talking about having another. She needs a family more than any unborn child does. I see no reason why she shouldn't stay with us. If nothing else, we can give her a loving home."At that, Mikasa found herself unable to stand. Pressing her back against the wall , she slid to the ground, tears silently falling into the scarf still up around her chin.

_They're so kind,_ she thought to herself. _They don't even know me, and yet..._ She thought back to how Eren had risked his own life to save hers. _He saved my life, and they're welcoming me into their family. _Mikasa had been so quiet and absorbed in the conversation between Eren's parents that she didn't notice someone else coming up beside her.

"Mikasa?" She looked up to see Eren, looking down at her with concern. "Are you ok?" Mikasa quickly wiped a tear out of her eye.

"I'm fine, I just-"

"It's alright. Don't worry about it, you don't have to say anything." Mikasa ran the edge of her scarf through her fingers, looking at it. "Are you still wearing that thing?" Eren asked, sounding amused.

"Yes," she murmured._ And I'll never take it off,_ she thought. Eren gave her a somewhat confused look, but didn't press the issue.

"So," he continued, "is there a reason you're sitting out here? Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and helping her up. "There's no need to be a stranger." Eren led her into the kitchen, to which his parents looked up at them, immediately dropping their previous discussion. Eren pulled out a chair and sat at the table wordlessly, grabbing a piece of bread. Mikasa was slower to join them, still feeling a bit uncomfortable. They were still, after all, complete strangers to her, and although she was grateful that they'd welcomed her into their home so quickly, they weren't her family, at least not like how her parents has been. She was an outsider to them.

Mrs. Jaeger smiled at her warmly. "It's alright, Mikasa. You don't have to be shy. Wordlessly, she joined the family. Nobody said anything, until Eren finished inhaling his food and made for the front door. His mother raised her eyebrow.

"What's the hurry, Eren?" Eren shrugged at her.

"Armin wanted to show me something today, so I'm meeting him. He said it was really important."

"Whatever it is, it can wait until-" Eren opened his mouth to cut her off, but was interrupted.

"Oh, let him go, Carla," his father said with a laugh. "He's a kid." Eren turned to leave, but not before Dr. Jaeger stopped him. "Eren, if you're going out, take Mikasa with you. Show her around town. Maybe introduce her to Armin." The look on Eren's face told Mikasa that he'd completely forgotten about her. Eren nodded.

"Ok."

As the two children made their way down the streets, Mikasa couldn't help but feel both overwhelmed and amazed at the same time. Everything about this place was bigger and busier than anything she'd ever seen before in her entire life. Granted, she had first seen the sights and sounds last night, but now that she'd rested and her head was somewhat less cluttered, she was getting the full impact. Eren noticed her wide-eyed wonder and grinned.

"You've never been to Shiganshina before, have you?" Mikasa shook her head wordlessly. "It is pretty busy, but," Eren continued, "Shiganshina is just an outlaying district. It's tiny compared to the cities in the main wall, or so I've heard. I've personally never seen them."

"I've never been off my farm," Mikasa said quietly.

Eren was visibly surprised at that. "You've never had to leave it to come to a city?"

She shook her head. "No. My father hunted all the meat we needed, and my mother grew all the plants and vegetables. There was never any need to leave, so we didn't. It was a simple life, but it was a good one." As soon as those words passed her lips, Mikasa immediately regretted speaking them, mostly because they were true.

_Yes,_ she thought, _my life was great. I was happy. So why did it have to end? Why did I have to lose my family? Why do I have to feel this pain?_ A tear fell down into the scarf.

If Eren noticed, he pretended not to. "You'll get used to it here. The city isn't so confusing, once you get to know it." Mikasa looked at him. There was just something about Eren, something that made her feel better. Even when he wasn't being helpful or particularly comforting, his presence alone helped to alleviate the deep sorrow she felt almost constantly.

Suddenly, Eren cursed under his breath as they turned a corner and saw four figures: three older boys, and one child that looked about their age. The youngest was blonde, and was clearly the victim in the situation. One of the older boys held him against a building, while the other screamed at him, and the third was violently hitting him. After a punch in the gut, the blonde-haired boy keeled over, clutching at his stomach and whimpering. Mikasa watched the scene before her, somewhat uninterested because she felt it didn't concern her, but Eren cursed out loud.

"Get the hell way from him!" he screamed, running straight at the assailants. Mikasa followed quickly behind Eren. Looking up, one of the boys broke into a grin.

"Oh, Eren, do you want some of this too? Remember last time you tried to be a martyr?" The crowd left the blonde boy on the ground, and moved toward Eren.

"And who do we have here?" another one jeered, flipping a lock of Mikasa's hair back. "Looks like Eren's got a new friend to get the shit kicked out of." Mikasa said nothing, looking at them with boredom.

"I've warned you idiots to leave Armin alone!" Eren yelled, moving toward the oldest one, the one that had punched who Mikasa now knew was Armin..

They laughed."Yeah, and what are you going to do if we don't?"

"I can take you all on," Eren said. "You're not so tough." All three advanced toward Eren as the same time, clearly meaning him harm. Now Mikasa, consumed by the urge to defend Eren, moved forward, pushing past her new found brother and standing between him and the aggressors.

"Mikasa?" Eren asked, confused.

"If you have any kind of common sense," she said softly, "you'll walk away now." Her eyes narrowed in anger. More laughter came from the mob.

"If not even Eren can stand a chance against us, what makes you think you can, little girl?"

"Come any closer and I'll gladly demonstrate."

"You're kidding me, right?" he asked, clearly flustered. "Are you really threatening us, brat?"

Mikasa's expression remained as calm as ever. "No, I'm giving you a far warning."

"Oh, fuck this," the oldest one said, balling his hands up in a fist, "let's just pound the little shit and teach her who's in charge around here."

With that, he acted on his words, charging at the nine-year-old, his fists raised. As his hand almost made contact with her head, Mikasa lifted her hand up, catching his fist, and with an effortless toss, threw the much larger boy over her shoulder. Before the other two could react to the fact that Mikasa had literally thrown the oldest member of their little team, she ran between them. Simultaneously, she reached her hands out and punched them both square in the face, sending the bullies flying back into a wall. As she paused for a moment, she saw out of the corner of her eye that the first boy had stood back up and was coming at her with a vengeance. Mikasa skillfully ducked to avoid his fist, and countered with a punch of her own, sending him in a pile with his friends. This time, however, when he stood up, all three of them ran.

Mikasa looked back at Eren, who was clearly in shock over what he'd just witnessed. However, he broke into a wide grin.

"Remind me to never piss you off."

"Eren," came the voice of Armin, "who is this?" He gave Mikasa a friendly smile. "I've never seen her around before."

"I'm not from here," Mikasa said. "Eren's family invited me to live with them."

"So, they adopted you?" Armin asked. Mikasa gave him a curt nod, hoping to avoid this particular topic. That last thing she wanted was every kid her age in the entire city feeling sorry for her, or even knowing her history. It was between her and Eren, and nobody else.

Armin seemed to take the hint and quickly dropped the subject. "Ah!" he exclaimed, remembering something. "There was something I wanted to show you," he said, turning to Eren excitedly. The two friends bolted down the street, with Mikasa following.

_Maybe life here won't be so bad,_ she thought to herself. _It's different, but the people here are kind and considerate. _It wasn't her home, and she knew that Eren's parents, as much as they seemed to see her as their daughter, would never fully erase the pain of last night. Despite that, as she watched Eren chatting with Armin, she knew that Eren gave her a purpose in life. He was clearly a troublemaker, and she knew she'd have her hands full protecting him, but that was better than the emptiness she felt when he wasn't around.

Eren and his family had given her a new start, and Mikasa was determined to make the best of it.


End file.
